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056 No Such Thing
The background is black. ; Panel 1 The Broodhollow Boys are standing outside the Hotel Umbra as Zane, still quite drunk as indicated by the bubbles over his head, reaches for the front door. All of the lights in the hotel are off, including the ones in the front office. Zane's body looks limp and relaxed, and he has a wide grin and half-closed eyes as he turns towards the Broodhollow Boys to say goodbye. Mercy is still in her cage on the ground beside him as he steps up to the door. Maurice, watching him, says "Home sweet home! You good, Boss? Can you make it upstairs?" Zane replies, "I'm on the trolley, gents. No worries *hic* here." ; Panel 2. Zane walks up the stairs, holding Mercy's cage out in front of him with one hand and bracing himself on the railing with the other. He's still smiling and looking relaxed, and he looks to the side and says "I'm a *hic* man of *knowledge*, Mercy. A man of *science.* *Learned.*" ; Panel 3. Zane is in the hallway outside his hotel room, steadying himself on the opposite wall as he walks, hugging the cage to his chest. He has his eyes half closed and a big smile as he says "Gonna *hic* sign those papers tomorrow... Sell the shop. *Hic* Head back home a *wealthy man.*" ; Panel 4. Zane pushes open the door without hesitation and strides in the room, his eyes wide open and the bat's cage in one hand. He furrows his brows and calls out crossly, "*Sorry, ghosts! There's no such thing as you." ; Panel 5. Zane looks at Mercy's cage and, grinning widely, looking relieved, says "*Hic* Not so bold now that... you're just in my *mind*, are you? Ha ha." Behind him is the dresser with a mirror on top of it. The mirror is broken. It looks like it's been smashed in the middle, and the cracks extend all the way out to the edge. The background is a dull brownish-red. ; Panel 6. Zane says "I guess th." As he's talking, a lamp sails through the air and hits him over the head. The light bulb is broken, and the lampshade comes askew as it connects with Zane's head. Some blood appears on his left temple, along with some cartoonish stars to indicate injury. He winces, grits his teeth and raises his arm, dropping Mercy's cage. The background is a slightly more vivid shade of rust red. ; Panel 7. The cage hits the ground and lays on its side, its bars bent. In one place they're broken, and Mercy flies out, hovering a few inches over the broken cage, her wings fully extended. The carpet is bright red, and the wall is a dark, intense rust red. ; Panel 8. Zane lies on the ground, bleeding a little bit from his temple. He's looking at something, and his mouth is wide open and his eyes terrified. The lamp lies on the floor up against the wall. Next to it, the dresser is tipping over, about to fall on Zane's head. ; Panel 9. Shards of broken glass fall from the mirror, which is now moments away from falling on Zane's head. Zane is staring at the wide open bathroom door. Peeping out from inside the bathroom is the same small, blue ghost that he had seen that morning. Her one visible eye is gleaming bright blue, with a thin line of horizontal light coming from it. The carpet is now a vibrant shade of red. ; Panel 10. Shards of red-tinted glass fall in the darkness. In each one is reflected an image of part of the ghost's face, with a jagged shard reflecting her eye the most prominent one.